Fergus’ Fortune
by Breniah
Summary: Sam sick of her lack of relationship with Jack, but then they get kidnapped...


**Fergus' Fortune**

**By Breniah**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own them, I was merely borrowing them.

CATEGORY: S/J Romance

RATING: PG, some naughty words, implied sexual situations, nothing too serious.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hi, would love to get feedback on this one, considering I nearly choked on its cheesiness factor. Would also like to apologise for the cheesiness of it, I really don't know what came over me.

#####################################################################

Jack jogged down the hallway towards Sam's office. Sticking his head in, and without really looking at what she was doing, he asked, "Ready for the briefing, Major? We're kind of running late."

Sam kept her head bent down over the desk. "Be along in a minute, sir," she said, her voice a little rough.

Jack caught the note of sadness in her voice. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, walking over and standing next to her. He patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter, Sir," she said, shrugging his hand off her shoulder and rising to her feet in one swift movement.

"C'mon, Sam, you can tell me," he said, gently tugging her into his arms for a hug.

She relaxed into him for a moment, before stiffening and pushing him away forcefully. 

"I'm fine, sir. Thank you," she said politely.

"C'mon, Sam, you can tell me what's wrong. Tell Uncle Jack, and he'll make it better," he cajoled.

She stood silently.

"Why can't you talk to me? I thought we were pretty good friends. What's so wrong that you can't tell me?" he asked again, getting increasingly frustrated.

"You! You are my problem, Sir!" she said angrily. "I can't do this any more, I can't pretend to be ice and not care. I can't leave it in the room; I can't not want you. I can't work side by side with you and I can't imagine not working with you. This whole forbidden lust thing we have going is driving me insane!" She paused for a quick breath before continuing. "And most of all, I can't stand how it doesn't seem to affect you! Doesn't this tension tear you apart? Don't you lie there in the middle of the night dreaming, and hoping that one day it will work out all right and then wake in the morning to find it exactly the same? To wake with nothing else in your bed other than a severe case of disappointment?" 

Jack said nothing, had nothing to say to that. He just stared at her.

Sensing he wasn't going to respond, she launched herself into another verbal attack. "Jack, I can't live like this, this half life. I need more and I can't stop the dreams. I want to wake up to you; I want to share my life with you. All of my life." 

Again, she waited a moment for a response. Shrugging slightly, she tore into him again, "Seems I am the only one feeling this way. I know you don't often have the words and I can allow for this little outburst shocking you, but I think I just realised something about you Jack. You are an emotional coward! Every time we step through that gate I wonder whether this is the trip you get killed, or I get killed, or whether we'll have to tip-toe around another situation because God forbid we let on that we're lying to ourselves every damn minute. God fucking forbid that we actually live what little time we have before our part in this fight comes to an explosive end. I'm so sick of sacrificing, so sick of caring. I don't know what you are scared of, Jack, but I don't think I care any more. Do you hear me?"

Jack flinched as she raised her voice another notch.

"I DON"T FUCKING CARE ANYMORE!" she yelled, crumpling back down into her chair, sobbing softly. 

"Major Carter…" he began, trying to control himself. He ached to tell her everything that was in his head and his heart, but sanity prevailed and he began to reassert the 'military man'. He assumed Sam was striving for some sort of control as well as shoulders stopped shaking and she straightened in her chair.

"The briefing started 5 minutes ago, pull yourself together and get there on the double," he said, walking to the door.

"Yes, sir," Sam said softly.

Jack paused at the doorway, and sighed. Straightening his shoulders, he strode purposefully to the briefing room.

#####################################################################

Jack spent most of the briefing with his head down, staring at his pad intently. Since making his excuses for arriving late, he had barely said two words. The upcoming mission was a standard mineral survey, and thankfully, he wasn't required to add anything to the discussion. 

'How could Sam call me a coward?' Jack thought angrily. 'She knows what I've had to go through.' He replayed the scene of what had happened in Sam's office for the fourth time since the briefing started. He couldn't for the life of him figure where her outburst had come from.

"Colonel?" Hammond asked, rousing him from his thoughts.

"Sir?"

"An emergency call for you, about your Uncle Fergus," Hammond said, raising an eyebrow, and indicating the airman that had interrupted the briefing.

"Oh, thanks," Jack muttered, rising to take the call.

Sam watched him walk out of the room. The briefing had been slightly tense;** the fact that the Colonel wasn't making his usual sarcastic comments had been noticed by all present. For her own part, she had tried to maintain a degree of composure, but she was sure they had all noticed her unsteady voice, and distracted manner.**

Jack came back into the briefing room, looking slightly shocked. "Sir, request permission for personal leave."

The General looked at him steadily. "Is everything alright, Colonel?"

"That was my Uncle's lawyer on the phone, sir. He passed away a week ago, but for obvious reasons, couldn't get in touch with me. He wants to see me this afternoon. Settlement of his will and all that," he said.

"Granted, you have 2 days SG1," Hammond said.

"Need more, sir, sorry," Jack said. "I have no idea how long this is going to take. A week?" Jack hazarded a guess.

"Fine, see you all in a week. Dismissed." They all stood and began walking out. Sam waited until they had all dispersed before following Jack down one of the hallways.

"Sir!" she called after him.

He stopped walking but didn't turn around.

"I'm sorry about your uncle, Sir. If you need any…"

"Thank you, Major," he said, emphasising her rank. He started walking to the lifts again. 

"Jack, please," she implored.

This time he didn't stop walking, and she watched him retreat from her until the elevator doors closed and she couldn't see him walking away from her.

She slumped against the wall, cringing. What had possessed her to lose control like that? 'That's it! No more running away!' She began to follow Jack, determined to catch him and force him to talk to her. 

"Major Carter?"

She swore under her breath at the sound of General Hammond's voice. Turning slowly, she raised her eyes to his. "Yes, sir?"

"I want you to take this week and use it to relax. If I see you on base more than twice in this next week, you will be severely punished. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear, sir. Not allowed on base more than twice," she parroted.

"Good," Hammond said, smiling. "Now get out of here."

"Yes, sir," she said, saluting.

#####################################################################

Sam sat in her car, debating internally, as she watched Jack's house.

'This can wait until tomorrow morning, when the both of us are less worked up about it. Besides, his uncle just died, it's not very compassionate of me to dump my issues on him now.'

'But if you don't talk to him now, you know you'll never go through with it later. You know you will talk yourself out of it,' the other side of her said.

Suddenly, the lights of the house went out and Jack strode out of the house, carrying an overnight bag. He unlocked his car, not noticing Sam's jeep as he let himself in and started to drive off.

Without thinking, she started her own car and began to follow him. An hour or so later, she watched him turn off the main highway down a dirt track. Slowly, she followed as he continued up the road. Finally, he pulled over and she could see a log cabin in the distance. Quickly realising that the cabin must've belonged to Fergus, she parked her car just behind his.

He got out of the car, saying, "So, Major, decided to follow me? See what riches I've inherited?"

Sam sucked in her breath at the insult, and then exhaled slowly, letting it go. "I wanted to talk to you about today, sir."

"You should've waited until I got back, Sam," he said, tiredly.

"I know, and I am sorry, but I would've chickened out by the time you got back," she admitted.

"So what did you want to say, Major?" he asked.

"Can we go inside and talk, please?" she asked, gesturing to the cabin.

He shrugged, "Inside the cabin, out here by the cars or fifty metres into the woods, it doesn't make a difference; I mean, the words are going to be the same, aren't they?" he asked, sarcastically.

Sam tried to reign in her temper, but he wasn't making it easy. "I just thought it was the polite thing to do in this situation, sir," she retorted.

"Was it so polite to scream at me like a banshee earlier today?" he threw back at her.

"No, it probably wasn't!" She started yelling, "I just wanted to say I am sorry for what happened in my office this afternoon. It will never happen again! I will go along with whatever you want! Don't you get it? I love you!"

The shock Jack experienced twice earlier was nothing compared to this. Seeing Sam lose it was one thing, finding out his uncle was dead was a shock to be sure, but this? This was something else. 

"You love me?" he questioned slowly, as if not daring to believe it.

"Yes, you overgrown moron!"

"Sam," he started to say, but was cut off by the appearance of three masked men, aiming guns at him and Sam.

"Touching, very touching. But we really don't have time for this," one of the men said, gesturing with his gun towards Sam.

Before Jack could react, one of the masked men had a needle at her throat. She slumped down unconscious the next minute. 

"Sam!" Jack cried, moving towards. The man who spoke stepped behind him and knocked Jack out with his gun.

"Load 'em up boys. We can take his car," the leader said, nudging the unconscious Jack with his foot.

#####################################################################

When Jack came to, he realised first he was lying on a cold, hard floor. A very cold and very hard floor. Raising himself on one arm, he looked around for Sam. Not seeing her in the dim light, he stood, shaking off his disorientation.

Sam was lying on a bed in one corner of the room. Walking over to where she lay, he quickly checked for a pulse. Sighing as he found one, he looked around the rest of their 'holding cell'.

At one end was the bed, with a table and lamp next to it. Towards the other end of the room there was a table and chair, a small bathroom and a kitchen. Opening the cupboards at random, he was grateful to see they were well stocked. He opened the fridge and found the same thing. He frowned, puzzling over the fridge and stove. The kidnappers, whoever they were, obviously wanted him alive and healthy. 

Touching the walls of the room, he realised they were metal. Groaning, he recognised what he and Sam were being held prisoner in. Skimming his hand along the wall, he felt a roughness, and was glad for it. They had been given air holes.

Sam groaned and Jack turned his attention away from the walls of their prison. "What's going on?" she asked groggily.

"We've been kidnapped, apparently," he said, quickly checking her over for any side effects from the drug she had been injected with.

"Huh? Kidnapped?"

"Mm hmm. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, just a little groggy and out of it. Where are we?" she said, looking around at their surroundings.

"A transport container."

"A what?" she asked.

"A transport container, one of the big metal ones. Very clever, if you think about it. They gave us air holes," he added. "And plenty of food."

"They must've planned to hold you here for a while. I wonder what my appearance has done to their plans. Bet they didn't count on any 'excess baggage'," she muttered.

"Nice recovery, Sam. I thought those drugs would've had you out cold a lot longer. Besides, there isn't anyone I'd rather be kidnapped with," he said extravagantly. 

"Gee, thanks. Personally, I'd rather not be kidnapped at all." She stood up and started to explore the container.

"Any idea who those guys were?" she asked, after a moment. 

"NID?"

"Not really their style, well let me rephrase. It is their style but would they have the nerve to kidnap you?"

"Good point," he said, walking over to the kitchen and pulling out some bread.

"So who are they then?" Sam asked.

"Let me enlighten you," a voice from outside the container made them both freeze. 

"NID?" Jack asked, harshly.

"NID? Huh? No, not NID, whatever that is. This is very simple. I want old Fergus' wife's jewels. Especially the diamond."

"What jewels?" Jack asked, confused. "Aunt Annabel never wore any jewellery, except for her engagement ring."

"Don't play that game with me. You know what jewels, and more importantly you know where they are. So until you tell me where they are, you and your little girly friend aren't going anywhere."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Jack yelled, frustrated.

"Get comfortable, I'll come back when you are more willing to share your knowledge."

"Hey! Hey, come back here! HEY!" Jack screamed.

"I think he is gone Jack," Sam said.

"Damnit!" Jack swore.

"Looks like we are stuck here for a while," Sam said, collapsing on the bed again. 

"Looks like," Jack said, before yawning. "Move over, Major, I need some sleep too."

Sam shifted over and the small bed to make room for him. 'Great, this is just great. Get kidnapped and share a bed with Jack. Great work, Sam,' she chided herself. However, before their close proximity to each other could become an issue, they were both fast asleep.

Jack woke first, to the bizarre sensation of Sam's leg thrown over his, her head tucked neatly under his chin. He froze, hardly daring to breathe in case he woke her. This was a new sensation, and one he liked altogether far too much. The feel of her against him sent his body into overdrive. He began counting to ten slowly, over and over, trying to regain control. ****

Sam shifted against him and sighed contently, kissing his neck softly, before sliding down into sleep again. Jack groaned involuntarily, loud enough to cause Sam to wake. 

"Oh!"  She tried to raise herself off him, but there wasn't enough room. 

"Hold still, else we'll both end up on the floor."

"I'm sorry, sir, you should've pushed me back to my side of the bed."

"What side of the bed?"

She looked down at their bodies, and then at the size of the bed and laughed. "You're right, of course."

"Always am," Jack said jokingly.

She lay there, controlling her breathing so that Jack wouldn't be aware of what this situation was doing to her.

"Well, Sam, I think you got your wish. You woke up in bed next to me," Jack said, smiling smugly up at her.

She closed her eyes as she remembered what she had screamed at him in anger earlier. Falling back on military protocol, she got out of the bed, trying hard to not prolong any unnecessary contact. She stood at the foot of the bed, running a hand through her hair and said, "I think that was a little out of line, Sir," hoping he would overlook the blatant hypocrisy of her statement and the spiel she let loose at him in her office earlier. 

Jack said nothing to that; he merely got out of the bed and started rummaging through the cupboards. "Breakfast?" he asked.

"May as well, we aren't going anywhere."

"Well, seeing as these guys aren't NID, we shouldn't have too much trouble," Jack started as they sat down to breakfast.

"Trouble? We are locked in a transport container, Sir!"

"I know, but they can't be that professional. They don't know you're military, otherwise they wouldn't have called you my 'girly friend'." He broke off some more bread and continued. "They want these jewels, which I never even knew existed. Basic thieves," he stated, brandishing the bread for extra effect.

"Got to agree with you there, Jack. Problem is how do we get out? I don't think us informing them politely, that we have no idea what they are talking about and wish to be released is going to get the job done," Sam said.

"I guess we'll just have to wing it." At Sam's raised eyebrow, he added, "You know, improvise. We have done it before, we are both trained professionals, and if we see an opportunity we take it. You know the drill."

"Somehow I think there is going to be more it than that. You're cocky," Sam said.

"You told me you loved me, that can make a man cocky," Jack said, suprising her with his change of topic.

Sam blushed and lowered her head. "I don't think this is the time to talk about it," she muttered.

"What if we die?" Jack asked innocently. "We might never get out of here," he added, knowing full well what a lie that was. The SGC would find them, eventually.

Sam's snort told him she didn't believe a word of what he was saying. 

"Okay, try this. When we get back we may never have another opportunity to talk about this. Being kidnapped might be the only way we can ever talk, properly talk,"  
he said softly.

Sam finally looked up at him and knew he was right. At the SGC they could pretend it never happened. They could shove their feelings right back down to the deepest, darkest recesses of their minds, where no one else could ever touch them. 

"Okay," she said finally. "I love you. I want whatever you want. I'll do whatever you want. I am a completely pathetic woman in love. Is that what you want to hear?"

"Yes," he stated, causing a flash of pain to wash over her face. He stood next to her and yanked her up from where she was sitting.

"That's exactly how I want you to feel," he whispered intently. "I want you to feel as if your entire being is dependent on me. I want you to need me more than you need air. Because that's how I feel about you! I need you, you drive me insane daily and yet I still need you more than anything or anyone else in the world. I love you so much," he said quietly.

She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. Slowly, she tightened her arms around him, encouraging him to respond further. He held her tightly, not wanting anyone to take this away from them. Still kissing him, she began to direct him over to the bed.

She leant against him, causing him to lose his balance so that they both fell down onto the mattress. Sam broke the kiss briefly, murmured her love for him, and then kissed him once more.

Jack was reeling under her onslaught, but pulled himself together to pull back long enough to draw breath. "Sam?" he questioned gently.

"Mmm?" she replied from where she was kissing his neck.

"We should stop," he said.

"What?" she asked pulling back from him.

"Don't me wrong, this is great, really great. And I love you so much, but because I love you so much, this isn't the best time or place for this," he said softly.

She just stared at him, willing himself to explain further.

"I want us to be perfect, no regrets, no recriminations, just us and perfect." 

She stared down at him in amazement. "Jack, you're a romantic!"

He blushed. "Don't tell the marines!" he joked. 

Sam sat back, and gave him some room to compose himself. Once their breathing had returned to normal, she asked, "So, what do you want to now?"

Jack laughed. He threw his head back and really laughed. "Do you really have to ask me that?"

Sam grinned, ear to ear like a Cheshire cat. Glancing around, she said wryly, "Doesn't look like we have too many options."

Jack nodded, his eyes following the same path as hers. He looked up at the ceiling and then stopped. Quickly, he jumped out of the bed and rushed to the stove. Grabbing a chair, he climbed up and began inspecting the metal over the stove. "Sam!" he called.

She got off the bed and followed him. "What?"

"The stove! They removed a portion of the ceiling to make room for the chimney."

"Yeah, and then they put it back on," she said, not getting the significance.

"But they only welded it back on! We can chip it off!" He started banging on the metal.

"Here," Sam said, handing him a tin of peas from the cupboard. "Try this."

Minutes later, Jack had managed to push the metal over the flue** out of their way. "I'm not going to fit through here," he said, getting off the chair. "But you might," he grinned.**

She climbed up onto the chair, and put one of her feet into his hands. "Count of three?" she asked, bracing herself.

"One… two… three." He pushed, she pulled and she was free.

"Now open the damn doors and let me out," Jack screamed at her.

"Okay." She looked for a suitable place and jumped off the container, rolling as she hit the ground. Looking around, she realised they were in the woods, behind Fergus' cabin. 

Running to the doors, she tried to pull back the heavy metal lock. Gasping with strain, she finally inched it back. Pausing to catch her breath, she yanked on it again, and again. She finally got the door open and Jack casually strolled out.

"What took you so long?" he asked impishly.

She glared at him and said, "Let's get out of here."

"Agreed," he said, taking her hand. He looked around at the forest, wondering which way they should go. 

"We can't go to the cabin," he said, knowing the kidnappers were probably there, trying to find the jewels.

"Let's try the highway," Sam suggested. "Maybe we can hitch with someone who has a phone. So when they come back to see us…" she left it hanging.

"The police will be waiting for them," Jack finished. "Okay, let's move out."

#####################################################################

Everything went according to Jack and Sam's plan; they walked to the highway, hitched a ride, and organised a team of police to greet the kidnappers. Doctor Frasier checked them over and apart from a few bruises on Sam's shoulder from climbing through the roof, they were perfectly fine. They were ordered to spend their remaining down time getting some rest.

They both went home to their separate houses, showers and beds. 

Jack knocked on Sam's door the next morning. She opened it and let him inside silently. 

"Probably wondering what I doing here?" he said, all the old nervousness returning.

"Kind of."

"I was going to head up to Fergus' cabin for a few days, and I thought you would like to join me."

Sam smiled. "Are you inviting me for a dirty weekend away?" she asked slyly.

"Pretty much," he admitted.

"Jack, we haven't talked about it yet, but what about the regs? We need to talk about what we are going to do sometime."

"I know," he said sadly. "But not today. Today is for fun and exploration."

She laughed in spite of herself and their situation. "Okay, let me get some things together."

2 hours later, they arrived at the cabin. 

"Wonder if Aunt Annabel did have any jewels," Jack mused as they walked inside. 

Sam looked around, and smiled in appreciation. The cabin was lovely, all wood finishings and the décor was very country. It was perfect. Jack dumped their bags in the main bedroom while she looked around.

Over the fireplace was a painting of an old couple, smiling at each other lovingly.

"Fergus and Annabel," Jack confirmed as he walked back into the room.

"They look so happy," Sam whispered.

"They were. And we will be too, ya sure ya betcha," Jack said hokily.

She looked up at him, saying with eyes all that she wanted to say aloud. Jack caught the change in her mood and said, "Later. C'mon let's go a-jewel hunting

"So you think Annabel did have a stash of jewels now, do you?" Sam asked, impudently.

"Well those kidnappers seemed pretty serious about finding them. Maybe they do exist."

"Well, Private Dick," she said, causing him to choke. "Why don't you start looking and I'll get some drinks for us."

"Sounds good." Jack raced off, extremely excited, like a big kid.

Sam walked out of the kitchen a few minutes later carrying a couple of beers. 

"I THINK I FOUND THEM!" Jack called out triumphantly.

"What?"

"I think I found them! Uncle Fergus and I always used that as out hiding spot if we didn't want Annabel to find out something we were planning. I can't believe the kidnappers didn't think to look there," he said shaking his head.

Jack slid out a piece of wood from a concealed panel under the staircase. Sticking his hand all the way in, he searched around until his fingers closed around a canvas sack. Pulling them out, he handed the bag to Sam as he slid the piece of wood back into place. 

He took the bag off her, and one of the beers, and sat down on the couch, motioning her to join him. "I can't believe you found them so quickly," she said. "It's ludicrous."

Jack nodded his head. "Yep, completely insane. I loved that old man," He grinned, remembering his uncle fondly. "Shall we have a look?"

Sam nodded, unsure of what to say.

Without ceremony, Jack undid the drawstrings and up ended the contents of the bag into Sam's lap. Vibrantly coloured gems winked up at them. 

  
Gasping softly, Sam began to gently sort through them. Jack opened his hands, and carefully she placed each item into them. First, she pulled out a ruby and diamond tiara, soon followed by matching earrings and hair clip. Next came two ropes of pearls, followed by an emerald choker, an amethyst ring and necklace, a diamond bracelet and emerald earrings.

Sam looked at her lap and saw two smaller bags had fallen out of the larger one. Opening one of them she pulled out a matching set of jewellery, all set with sapphires. She passed them gently to Jack, first the earrings, then the necklace and finally the ring. She saw something flash through his eyes as she handed him the ring, but she couldn't tell what is was. 

Shrugging, she opened the last bag, and a huge diamond attached to a thin gold chain fell out. She blinked furiously, making sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. She heard  Jack inhale sharply at the sight of the overgrown diamond.

"Oh my God," Jack muttered. "No wonder Annabel never wore any of this stuff. She'd fall over," he joked weakly.

Sam could only nod in agreement, still staring at the monster sitting in her hand. She passed it over to Jack, and he quickly put it away.

"Well at least we know they exist. And that we didn't get kidnapped for nothing," she said, trying to start a conversation that would break the awful silence.

"Yeah," Jack said, trying to distract himself from what they had uncovered. He tied the drawstrings tightly around the bag and put it on the mantle place. 

"What are you going to do with them?" she asked.

"No idea," he muttered distractedly. Picking up his beer, he held out his hand to her. "Sit on the porch?"

She slipped her hand into his in agreement. They spent the next half-hour sitting on the porch just holding each other.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear, breaking the silence.

"I love you too," she responded, tilting her head back so he could kiss her.

"Come to bed with me," he said, after he had kissed her for several minutes.

She stood up, stretching and loving the way his eyes watched every movement of her body. "Race ya there," she grinned, already jogging towards to the bedroom.

#####################################################################

Sam sighed contently and moved her naked body closer to Jack's. "That was amazing."

"Well worth the wait," he agreed.

"Can we have that little conversation that neither of us wants to have now?" Sam asked, straight to the point.

"Okay, let's have the 'regs' conversation. I love you," he stated plainly.

"And you know I love you," she said helplessly. "That doesn't change the fact that this is almost illegal for us."

"I love you," he said again. "A solution will present itself, I'm sure."

"Just like that?" she asked.

"Just like that," he said, pulling her closer to him.

She climbed up on top of him and kissed him gently. "Okay, just like that then. I trust you, Jack, we will make this work."

"You betcha sweet ass we will," he said, tapping her lightly on the butt.

She giggled and kissed him again, and again, and again.

#####################################################################

Days later, when they were lying in bed again, Jack hugged Sam tighter and said, "Tomorrow we go back to it, to the SGC. Do you still trust me?"

"Of course," she said, kissing his chest. "I just wish you would let me in on the secret."

"That would be telling, now wouldn't it?" He kissed the top of her head. "Besides, I want to surprise you."

"Oh boy, here we go," she muttered under her breath.

#####################################################################

"So, what's our next mission, General?" Daniel asked eagerly. "Some might have had an interesting week," he looked at Jack and Sam as he said this, "But I for one am looking for a little action."

"We'll get to that in a minute, son," Hammond said, before looking over at Jack. "Still want to go through with our deal, Colonel?"

"Yes, sir."

Sam looked at Jack quizzically. 'What on earth does he have up his sleeve?' she wondered.

"Please show our guest in," General Hammond said to a nearby airman. 

"What guest?" Daniel asked.

His question was answered as the President walked in the next moment. They all hastily rose from their chairs.

"At ease, people," the President said, sitting down and making himself comfortable.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Hammond said to the President, who merely nodded in response.

"Colonel?" Hammond said, letting Jack take the lead.

Jack nodded, and pulled the canvas bag containing his Aunt's jewels from under the table. Sam gasped.

Daniel and Teal'C merely looked confused.

"Funding for the SGC, in exchange for the suspension of a certain regulation," Jack said, grinning at Sam.

"Huh?" Daniel muttered. "What's in the bag?"

The President began untying the drawstrings on the bag. "Don't ya trust me, Mr President?" Jack asked.

The President smiled, and answered, "Of course, Colonel, of course. I merely wanted to see the jewellery that was worth kidnapping a Colonel and a Major for." The jewels spilled out onto the table. "Exquisite."

"Whoa, Jack? You are handing those over to fund the SGC?" Daniel asked in astonishment.

Jack nodded. "I'm not all that altruistic, Daniel. I get what I want as well. And it makes things easier, politically speaking. No one has to know about this 'funding', therefore the SGC is better protected. The fewer people who know about us the better." 

"What regulation is to be suspended?" Daniel asked. His eyes travelled to Sam and he quickly made the connection. "Ah," he sighed knowingly. "About damn time."

Teal'c smiled broadly, as did the General.

Jack looked over at the jewellery, thinking about his aunt. As the President was packing it away again, he realised something.

"What a minute! Sorry, Mr President, those sapphires weren't part of the deal," he said, quickly yanking the matching set of sapphire jewellery out the mix.

The President looked amused. "For your future wife, perhaps?"

Jack beamed a great big smile at him. "Precisely." Plucking the sapphire ring out of the mix, he knelt before Sam and asked, "Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Sam completely ignored the question and said instead, "You bribed the President?"

Jack let out a small smile, "You said you trusted me."

"You bribed the President!" 

"Hey, it got the job done! Everyone is happy, this is a good situation, honey," he pleaded with her, still on one knee and trying not to laugh at her reaction.

She shook her head in amazement. 

"C'mon, say you'll marry me. You know you want to," he grinned up at her like a little kid.

She tried to remain untouched, but couldn't help herself as she laughed out loud at him. He really was very adorable. "Yes," she whispered finally, when she had stopped laughing.

"Yippee!" Jack yelled, jumping to his feet and yanking Sam up into an intense kiss. 

"Congratulations to you both," the President and Hammond said in unison.

"Yeah, congrats guys, glad it finally happened," came from Daniel.

"I wish you many happy years together," Teal'c said, still smiling at them.

Sam pulled back from the kiss long enough to mutter a brief 'thanks', before turning to Jack again.

"I think we had better leave them to it," General Hammond said, gathering up his papers. "We can continue this another day."

They began to file out of the room. Daniel started speaking, "So, guess this means we are grounded for a while, huh?"

"Sorry, Dr Jackson, but it looks that way."

Daniel sighed. Just as he was almost out the door, he quickly stuck his head back in and yelled, "Get a room!" before heading off the infirmary to inform Janet of the news. 

The End


End file.
